Pennsylvania high school football coach dies after in-game medical emergency

Cornell High School (Coraopolis, PA) football coach Ed Dawson died on Friday, Oct. 23, after suffering a "medical emergency" during its Week 9 game against Rochester.

Dawson suffered the medical emergency and died after being transported to a local hospital, according to the Beaver County Times — part of the USA TODAY Network.

He was named the head coach for the Raiders in 2011 and posted a 49-54 record across 12 seasons leading Cornell. During his tenure, Dawson led the Raiders through a co-op and eventually fielded enough players to field its own program in 2016.

Dawson led the team to its first conference championship in 36 years and into the WPIAL semifinals in 2019. Two years later, the program went 7-2 and won its first outright conference title.

"I am extremely saddened and shocked to report that Coach Dawson has passed away," Cornell School District Superintendent Aaron Thomas said in a statement to WTAE .

Coraopolis Mayor Michael Dixon statement

Coraopolis Mayor Michael Dixon issued a statement on Facebook :

"Tonight our community lost one of its giants. Coach Ed Dawson passed away this evening, and the Borough of Coraopolis joins Cornell School District, his players, and his family in heartbreak," Dixon wrote. "When Cornell stepped away from football in 2012, a lot of people assumed Friday nights here were over. Coach Dawson didn't accept that. When the Raiders returned in 2016, he started with a few dozen kids and a lot of faith.

"They lost their first 18 games and kept showing up anyway, even at youth league games, making sure every young person in this town knew there was a place for them on his team. By 2019, he had led the Raiders to their first section title in 36 years, the first WPIAL playoff win in school history, and the WPIAL semifinals. He took them back to the semifinals in 2021.

The wins mattered. The young men he shaped mattered more. Coach Dawson looked for the positive in every game and in every kid, and he taught them to sweat the details and never quit. Generations of Cornell and Nazareth Prep players grew into better men because he believed in them before they believed in themselves.

To Coach Dawson's family: Coraopolis grieves with you, and we will stand beside you in the days ahead. To his players and coaching staff: lean on each other and on this community. You were his team, and you are ours.

Thank you, Coach. We love you, and we will not forget what you built here."